SILVER SPRING, MD -- Constantine (Sam) Sartori, a longtime vending industry leader, died here on March 16. He was 91.

Born in San Savino, Italy, Sartori was raised in New York City. Following service in the U.S. Navy during World War II, he joined Canteen Corp. in the Washington, DC, market and advanced to the post of Washington branch operations manager. He left Canteen in 1966 to open a restaurant, but his vending experience led him to place some older eight-column Stoner machines in locations unable to obtain service from large operations.

This enterprise prospered, and Sartori brought his son John and son-in-law Dominic Finelli into the business. Their combined efforts expanded the company into a strong regional operation. Sam retired in 1992, selling the business to John and Dominic (it was purchased by Canteen Vending Services in 2011).